Manuel Valdez, 24, of Azusa was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after police said he stabbed an acquaintance during an argument in the 1100 block of East Wingate Avenue in Covina on Sunday, April 13, 2014. (Courtesy)

COVINA >> Police arrested a stabbing suspect Sunday after he returned to the scene of the crime in search of the knife used in the attack, police said.

Manuel Alexander Valdez, 24, of Azusa was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the 3:30 a.m. stabbing in the 1100 block of East Wingate Avenue, Covina police Sgt. Jim McDonough said.

Valdez was acquainted with the victim, a 25-year-old man, and they arrived together to visit a home in the neighborhood, the sergeant said.

“(Valdez) thinks the victim is hitting on his girlfriend and an argument ensues,” the sergeant said.

The men continued arguing as they walked down the street, where Valdez allegedly stabbed the victim in the arm, police said. The wounded man suffered a severed artery and was hospitalized in serious condition.

The attacker had fled the area when officers arrived, but a witness reported seeing a man looking through some nearby bushes with a flashlight just before their arrival, McDonough said. The man fled as police approached, and investigators suspected it was the suspect trying to recover the weapon used in the stabbing.

Unbeknownst to Valdez, McDonough said, police found a set of brass knuckles with a blade attached that was believed to have been used in the attack at the scene.

As the investigation continued, police identified Valdez as the suspect and began keeping watch over his Azusa home, McDonough said.

But police received a call from the same neighborhood where the stabbing occurred about 11 a.m. reporting that a man was again searching through the bushes, the sergeant said.

Police rushed to the area and pulled Valdez over as he was driving out of the neighborhood, McDonough said. He was arrested in connection with the stabbing, and also had a small amount of what police believed to be heroin with him.

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Valdez had blood splattered on his pants and shoes when arrested, the sergeant added.

According to Los Angeles County booking records, Valdez was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail pending his arraignment, scheduled Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court.